Sunday, 28 April 2013

Rockpool Bar and Grill

“Would you like some bread for the table?” Of course we
do. Of course I do. And thus began the slightly belated dinner at Rockpool Bar and Grill, part of
the present I gave him for his Birthday. We very much enjoyed the steaks we had
here on our last visit, but as I wanted to try a burger, whereas Chris
wanted another steak, we ended up sitting in the no-bookings wine bar section,
where we could order both.

So, about that bread. Excellent
warm sourdough with a crackling crust – as it should be.

Plate of Olives ($6)

I never knew excellent bread and
butter could be improved upon but they were by a simple Plate of Olives ($6). They were marinated in warm olive oil,
augmented by the flavoursome additions of thyme and orange peel. There was a
highly enjoyable distinction between the large and fruity green olives, and the
oilier black ones.

Wagyu Skirt ($42, 240 grams, aged 20 days)

We wasted no time in getting to the
delicious, delicious bovine. OurWagyu
Skirt ($42, 240 grams, aged 20 days) was a working cut, explained the
waiter, and that meant that it would have a lot of chew, but also a lot of
flavour. It was indeed quite a sinuous cut of meat that required a lot of jaw
work, but the flavours were unbeatably beefy, made better by the generous
amount of wood-fire grilling. It’s a great cut for all you people out there who
love masticating.

David Blackmore's Full Blood Wagyu Hamburger ($24)

I was more interested by the famous
David Blackmore’s Full Blood Wagyu
Hamburger ($24), which consistently receives fabulous reviews by the
blokes at The Burger Adventure. My personal opinions however were fairly
mixed. It’s a great patty they have between the sugary brioche buns – juicy and
perfectly medium rare – but I just can’t help feel that the burger is missing
something. Maybe it’s cheese that melts into the crevices of the beef, maybe
it’s the fatty, smoky drippings from the patty, or maybe it’s just plain soul. Either
way, the burger was a bit too prim and proper for my liking, as great as the
ingredients were.

It was at this point that we really
noticed the difference between the wine bar and restaurant. Whereas they would
time everything perfectly in the restaurant so you would get your courses in
succession, sitting in the wine bar meant that our food came in a flurry,
leaving us struggling to find space on the overcrowded table. I had to give up
my half-eaten bread, and that was not a pretty sight.

Onion Rings ($9)

We got some of the fabulous looking
Onion Rings ($9), and it
proved to be an excellent decision. The usage of red onion meant that these
deep fried delights were a lot more delicate, and the lightly salted batter
stayed tempura-crisp even after it became cold.

Our other side was the lighter dish
of Green Beans with Creamy Anchovy,
Chilli and Lemon Dressing, Toasted Almonds ($9). This was a light and
cool counterpoint to the heaviness of the meal so far. The green beans were
garden-fresh with an audible snap to it, and were drizzled with a light yet
creamy dressing that held a faint but distinctive fishiness. Topped off with
toasted almonds, this is something I would love to be able to make, if I knew
how they did the dressing.

We were bursting at the seams by
this point, having eaten almost twice as much as our neighbours. However the voucher
I bought must be used in one meal, and I’ll be damned if I let any of it go to
waste! So instead we ordered a light dessert – Passionfruit Marshmallows ($8 for 10) for Chris and a glass
of Domaine Huet Clos du Bourg Chenin Blanc 2009 ($14/glass) for myself.
Most of what the sommelier said went over my head but she was right in saying
that this was lovely, light drop that had lots of white peach and floral notes.
As for the marshmallows, they were like perfumed clouds that dissolved on the
tongue. Chris, who had never had ‘real’ marshmallows before, couldn’t stop
marvelling at the texture.

The feeling I’ve gotten from
Rockpool after my two visits is that, whilst the produce and execution of the
food is impeccable, it has a mass-produced quality to it, and it lacks to TLC
that makes a good dish remarkable. Once again, Rockpool didn’t manage to
impress me, but it did manage to make me feel pampered, and made for an
excellent night out.